“EasyE doesn’t lose contests. He wins them. Or quits them because they are unfair” – Me right now, probably. And I’m sure many of you are in this same boat. Hopefully it’s more of the former and less of the latter (though the hypothetical situations and whining over small details that would have made someone victorious is what fantasy is all about). Win and you’re in? Playing spoiler? The NFL playoff hunt is getting real just as our fantasy one culminates. So much excitement this time of year and it’s another beautiful day to talk pigskin. Let’s clinch some playoff spots shall we? And how are we going to go about doing that?? .. We’re going streaming!! As always, I look at Yahoo ownership percentages after the waivers run on Thursday morning and focus on guys owned in less than 65% of leagues. I know you’re ready Snoop-a-loop. And you’ve already got the green hat. Marvelous.
Welcome to another episode of the Razzblitz podcast, as myself and our wonderful host Matt Bowe are joined by Evan Peterson, who you guys know here as “EasyE” from his wonderful streaming columns, to recap Week 12 and breakdown the biggest storylines of Week 13, including the Thursday Night tilt in Dallas, Julio Jones vs. Xavier Rhodes, Josh Gordon coming back into our lives, Cam Newton versus the Saints, Carson Wentz versus the Artists Formerly Known as the Leigon of Boom, and our Not-So-Bold Predictions!
It’s playoffs time for many of you, and if not this week, then the next few. I’d throw in a jab-like Chargers-Playoffs (weird) joke here normally, but I’m not sure what to do anymore. Drink more? Drink less? Eat the bottle? Why not all three at the same time? Regardless, all of us at Razzball Football are here to get you through these perilous and inebriated times, and with a strong bounce back week accuracy-wise (Rudy is having a fantastic year too!), I look forward to bringing my all the next month to get you to the championship. Now excuse me while I go eat some bourbon for breakfast while staring at a Philip Rivers GIF…
Pants unzipped.
Our Week 13 Rankings for Standard, Half-PPR, PPR and IDP leagues are right after the jump! (And our Rest of Season rankings have been updated and can be found here!)
If I could, I would focus on Alvin Kamara in this space every week. Is it just me, or does he look more impressive every week? He never goes down, keeps his balance, and keeps moving forward. Really, really impressive. It seems like the Saints are finally taking note, too:
Saints final HB snap count:
Alvin Kamara 32
Mark Ingram 29
Out of 57 plays
Anyway, welcome back from Thanksgiving break. I hope you remembered to set your lineups and didn’t end up sitting there eating turkey with that feeling that you forgot to do something, then lost your matchup and knocked yourself out of the playoffs. I know there’s at least one of you out there.
Week 12 was a bit of a handcuff special. Injuries led to Jamaal Williams getting the call in Green Bay, and he delivered with two touchdowns and over 130 total yards. A 54-yard reception and run for a touchdown made his numbers look a lot better than they would have otherwise been, but the points still count. Going forward, on the other hand, I wouldn’t count on getting similar production from Jam-Will (just made that up mid-sentence).
It is looking like Aaron Jones will be out for at least another week, but Ty Montgomery could be back this week. If Montgomery is back, he is going to be the starting back over Williams. At the very least, he will eat into enough of the touches to render Williams worthless. It probably isn’t safe to start Montgomery this week if you are in a must-win for the playoffs, but if you have to start a Green Bay back (a Green Bay Backer, one might say…), he should be the guy over Williams.
Elsewhere on the handcuff landscape, Tevin Coleman proved once again to be one of the more valuable handcuffs as he played for the injured Devontae Freeman for the second week in a row. He was a top-5 running back this week, piling up nearly 100 rushing yards and punching in two touchdowns for the Falcons. Freeman should be back this week, but the timeshare isn’t very clear. With Coleman’s success and Freeman coming back from a fairly serious concussion, the Falcons could turn to a more 50-50 share as opposed to the previous setup that featured Freeman more prominently. Heck, they could decide to roll with the hot hand and lean 60-40 or more on Coleman. They are, however, going up against a Vikings defense that won’t make things easy on them…
We have two new starting quarterbacks this week and we really only wanted to see one of them. Am I complaining about the Giants benching Eli? No. Eli hasn’t played well for a while and Evan Engram and co. dropping easy passes isn’t doing him any favors either. I would be more excited about the Jimmy Garappolo roll out if Pierre Garcon was healthy. Marquise Goodwin isn’t enough for Garappolo to be a fantasy relevant quarterback this season. Although, if Garappolo is able to open things up and move the ball a little bit I think that it helps Carlos Hyde find the end zone a little easier…
Hello everyone, and welcome to another Wednesday, rankings day! We are now just one week out from the playoffs in most leagues, so hopefully almost all of the Razzball readers are in contention in at least one of their leagues. Playoffs are the best time for any fantasy football player that finds themselves in the thick of things, so let’s make the best of things!
The fantasy playoffs are almost here, so each streaming move is more important than ever. After talking about how awful road trips are, the two hosts give their Week 13 streaming picks and then go to Twitter to answer more ridiculous questions. Listen in browser: Episode 146 – Week 13 Streaming and Road Trip Tilt Listen […]
I was overseas last week in London and noticed there was an overabundance of barber shops though a severe lack of dentists; good hair is important, mind you, but why not have good teeth, too? Speaking of Barber’s (look at that segue) we have one in Tampa coming off a two TD game though he’s not the man of the week; but before we get to that, let’s recap the game we’re playing here:
You and I all know this is Free Agent Auction Bidding, and we started with $100 FAAB dollars. I don’t have any left, so if you do I’ve broken this week down into 3 categories: 1. Spend all the monies, 2. For a buck and 3. If they clear. Understood? Good, let’s get to it.
This is it y’all! For most of you this is the last week to try and make your fantasy playoffs. If you’ve got any questions drop them down below and I’ll get back to you to help you sneak into your playoffs.
We’re headed into week 13 and that means the end of the regular season in many leagues. Odds are your team has taken shape, but the week 13 streaming picks can help fill in the blanks. For a replacement kicker, defense, or quarterback we’ve got what you need.
Good offensive performances have not been the hallmark of the 2017 Jaguars. The team thrives on strong defense, but they have playmakers. The ball gets down the field often enough to at least allow for some field goals. Lambo has scored 7 or more points in four out of five games for Jacksonville. I see no reason that he should not be at least in that neighborhood again versus a bad Colts defense. It looks like Lambo should be a top-5 kicker in week 13.
The Giants offense has been spinning it’s wheels the last couple of weeks. They should have Sterling Shepard back for week 13 and they have a nice matchup. The Raiders cannot stop anyone and even the Giants should prove to be no exception. Orleans Darkwa is running hard and Shepard along with Evan Engram gives Manning multiple targets. There is reason to believe that Rosas should have several chances to put up points.
D/ST
If you need a defense in week 13, grab Da Bears. Photo: Nam Y. Huh, The Associated Press
Chicago Bears
It has been an up and down season for the Bears defense. Their outcomes have ranged all the way from 24 fantasy points versus the Panthers to -5 against the Packers. This week should be trending toward the higher end of that spectrum. The 49ers offense is having a hard time this year and they are the 8th best matchup for opposing defenses. They feature a mistake prone young quarterback with no good receiving options. Dial up the bears and lock up your playoff seeding.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It was a rough week 12 for the Bucs as Matt Ryan remembered that Julio Jones is good at football. Not to worry though, Brett Hundley is no Matt Ryan. Despite a nice performance last week, Hundley is still a virtual lock for multiple turnovers. Tampa has an opportunistic defense and their aggression should pay off in this one. The Bucs are a good bet to grab double digit fantasy points heading into week 13.
There have been some bright spots for the Bears number one draft pick. Week 12 was not one of those, but that has been the case for a lot of quarterbacks facing the Eagles. The matchup going into week 13 is much friendlier as the 49ers come to town. Nothing helps a quarterback get back on track faster than facing one of the worst defenses in the league. The number here should be more like what Trubisky did against the Packers and Lions. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 16-20 fantasy points sounds about right to me.
Look out, hot take here! Just kidding, this one is not as crazy as it seems on the surface. The Giants and Eli have been ugly for a couple of weeks and it is clear why. Sterling Shepard has been on the sideline. The last time that Shepard suited up was week 10 at San Francisco and Eli put up just under 20 fantasy points. With the young receiver likely to return from his migraine-induced absence, a matchup with the Raiders is looking exploitable. It won’t feel good to put Eli in your lineup, but trust me, it’s going to be alright for week 13.
Be sure to check back tomorrow for our waiver wire picks. Also, don’t miss a special feature highlighting the players with the friendliest rest of season/playoff schedules. This one could be the difference between winning and losing your league! For some extras, follow us on Twitter: @_knuckleheads, @BrendanCole16, and @JakeTrowbridge.
Ultimate Football Fantasy 